Comments on: Knicks Morning News (2026.02.25)

By: Frank O.

Frank O. — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:23:46 +0000

Through 59 games, Brown’s Knicks are 37-22 — the same pace as Thibodeau’s Knicks last year. Thibs did it with a thinner roster and had the team peak in the playoffs, beating the defending champion Celtics. Brown has a deeper roster, a full year of Towns integration, and a team that just got swept by Detroit by a combined 84 points.
Same record. But the losses look different. Thibodeau’s teams didn’t get swept by a conference rival by 84 points. They didn’t have their own beat reporters questioning whether the group was tied together. And yes, a new system takes time, but Brown was hired in July. He’s had training camp, preseason, and 59 games. At some point the adjustment period expires. And the entire premise of the firing was that these players would thrive with a different voice. If the new system is why they’re struggling, the coaching change still didn’t work.
Two players the Knicks traded their future to acquire told ownership the coach was the problem. Ownership fired the most successful Knicks coach in 25 years. KAT is having the worst shooting season of his career — that’s not a system adjustment after 11 years in the league, that’s performance. Bridges is more efficient in a reduced role his coach doesn’t trust in the fourth quarter. The record is the same, the roster is deeper, and the team looks worse against the opponents that will decide their postseason.
The coaching wasn’t the problem.

By: Frank O.

Frank O. — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:06:48 +0000

I’ll concede this much: Bridges’ individual efficiency metrics are better this year. His three-point shooting is up, his BPM has jumped, his turnovers are down. Taken in isolation, the stat line looks like a player who’s settled into his environment. Credit where it’s due, year two in a system usually looks better than year one.
But that’s precisely the problem. The Knicks didn’t mortgage their future for a player who’s more comfortable in a smaller role. They paid for someone who could expand into a bigger one. His usage is down nearly two full percentage points. He’s taking fewer shots, initiating less, and occupying less space in the offense. The stats look better because the burden is lighter. That’s not growth. That’s a player finding his level and his level is lower than what this franchise needs from him.
The question was never whether Bridges could be an efficient complementary piece. He proved that in Phoenix. The question was whether he could be more than that for a team chasing a championship. So far the answer is the same one it was last year, just with a prettier stat line attached to it.

By: Frank O.

Frank O. — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:01:09 +0000

BigBlueALsays:
February 25, 2026 at 21:41
Bridges last season had a negative BPM, this season he has a 3.3 BPM which ties his career high he set the season Phoenix made it to the NBA Finals.

His BPM went from negative to 3.3. His usage dropped from 19.6% to 17.7%. Those two facts are connected. BPM is a box-score estimate that rewards efficient production, and efficiency improves mechanically when you take fewer and easier shots. He’s not impacting the game more. He’s being asked to do less, and the stat is rewarding him for it.
The Phoenix comparison actually makes the case against him. That 3.3 BPM came as a defined third option on a 64-win team that went to the Finals. He knew his role, executed it at an elite level defensively, and the team won. This year he’s posting the same number and his team is going 2-9 in stretches while his coach benches him in the fourth quarter for Landry Shamet. Same BPM, completely different reality.
Advanced stats describe what happened across 48 minutes. They can’t tell you when it happened. A guy who’s efficient in low-leverage minutes and invisible in the fourth quarter looks great on a spreadsheet and terrible on film. His coach sees the film. That’s why he’s sitting.

By: Frank O.

Frank O. — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:54:57 +0000

BrunsonPeroneusLongussays:
February 25, 2026 at 21:49
In what universe is that “better”?
These Universes:

BPM 3.3 vs -0,5
VORP 2.7 vs 1.2
WS/48 .152 vs .90
TS% .597 vs .585
3p% .382 vs .354
Rebounds, assists, steals and blocks all up and turnovers down. Offensive rating up 10 points, defensive rating down 4 points.

You mentioned his scoring was down 1.9 ppg, but since he is playing less his scoring is only down 0.6 per 36 minutes.

The per-36 adjustment is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Bridges’ usage rate dropped from 19.6% to 17.7%, that’s a nearly 10% reduction in how often the offense runs through him. When you touch the ball less and take fewer shots, your efficiency metrics improve almost by definition. You’re selecting higher-quality attempts, you’re not being asked to create in tough situations, and you’re not absorbing the possessions that separate a number-two option from a role player. BPM, VORP, and WS/48 are all downstream of that. They reward efficient production, and efficiency is easy when your volume shrinks. His field goal attempts per game dropped from 13.5 to 12.6. His free throw attempts dropped. He’s simply doing less.
The offensive and defensive rating splits are team-contextual stats that reflect lineup composition and opponent matchups as much as individual performance. The Knicks added depth this offseason – Clarkson, Alvarado, Sochan – so the minutes Bridges shares with better bench units skew those numbers favorably. That’s not Bridges getting better. That’s the roster around him getting deeper.
And none of these numbers – not one – account for the fact that his own coach doesn’t trust him in the fourth quarter. I’ll say it again: He’s averaging 3.5 points on 42.4% shooting in the fourth. He’s been benched for Landry Shamet in crunch time multiple times. BPM doesn’t capture that. VORP doesn’t capture that. You know what captures that? Mike Brown looking at his bench and deciding a minimum-salary guard gives him a better chance to win.
Advanced stats describe what happened across 48 minutes of game time. They don’t weight when it happened. A guy who puts up efficient numbers in the first three quarters and disappears in the fourth is a fundamentally different player than one who shows up when it counts, and the box score treats them identically. The Knicks didn’t trade five first-round picks and hand out $150 million for a player who’s efficient in low-leverage minutes. They paid for someone who could be a difference-maker when the game is on the line. By that measure, he’s worse this year, not better. The spreadsheet just can’t see it.

By: Knicks 2025

Knicks 2025 — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:43:50 +0000

At least we’re back alone in third again, for whatever that’s worth.

By: Director NYC

Director NYC — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:31:55 +0000

I think Detroit is squezzing the regular season juice ala Knicks under Thibs. Their poor shooting and lack of secondary playmaker will be an issue in the playoffs.

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:59:49 +0000

It’s hilarious that Harden is hurt again.

By: BrunsonPeroneusLongus

BrunsonPeroneusLongus — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:49:31 +0000

In what universe is that “better”?

These Universes:

BPM 3.3 vs -0,5
VORP 2.7 vs 1.2
WS/48 .152 vs .90
TS% .597 vs .585
3p% .382 vs .354
Rebounds, assists, steals and blocks all up and turnovers down. Offensive rating up 10 points, defensive rating down 4 points.

You mentioned his scoring was down 1.9 ppg, but since he is playing less his scoring is only down 0.6 per 36 minutes.

By: Knicks 2025

Knicks 2025 — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:41:35 +0000

Mikala. Slightly offensive, but also slightly funny.

By: BigBlueAL

BigBlueAL — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:41:05 +0000

Bridges last season had a negative BPM, this season he has a 3.3 BPM which ties his career high he set the season Phoenix made it to the NBA Finals.